IDIOMA I (INGLÉS)

UNIT 1. THE DEFINITIVE ARTICLE. EXERCISES. ANSWERS

1. Which of the nouns in these sentences are specific, and need the? Which are
general, and do not take the?

1. Put the kettle on.

2. Switch the light on.
3. Light is needed to read by.
4. I’m going to the library.
5. Please pass the mustard.
6. I like mustard on sausages.
7. The doctor gave me this medicine.
8. The cat has fleas.
9. Cats kill birds.
10. The central heating has broken down.
11. In the tropics, you do not need central heating.
12. He was late at the office again.
13. The President was in office for four years.
14. The weather is depressing.
15. Some countries have climate; England has weather.
16. The marmalade is on the table next to the cornflakes.
17. Marmalade is not put on cornflakes.
18. The fridge is empty. I’ll have to go to the supermarket.
19. I prefer open-air markets to supermarkets.
20. The car must go to the garage.

2. Complete with the, where needed.

1. The little boy fell off the bicycle.

2. Children like sweets.
3. I have lost the book I took out of the library.
4. Cats love fish.
5. Smoking cigarettes is unhealthy.
6. Mr and Mrs Jones go to church on Sunday.
7. They go to the church round the corner.

UNIT 1. DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES. EXERCISES. ANSWERS 1

 8. Students read books.
9. The student was reading the book you gave him.
10. The world is coming to an end on Friday.
11. He goes to work while Mrs Jones stays at home.
12. Children go to school.
13. Mr Jones goes to the office while Mrs Jones stays at home.
14. They live in the house on the corner of the street.
15. The children go to the school over there.
16. Dogs bark, birds cheep, and cats mew.
17. The cat screeched when the dog bit it.
18. The bird flew away when the cat jumped.
19. The dog is called Dudu; but not all dogs have names.
20. Dogs are not allowed in the park.
21. Were you able to get the books you needed from the library?
22. The Prime Minister likes to watch cricket, but the burdens of office prevent him
doing so.
23. Take the Piccadilly bus on the other side of the street.
24. Men and women have to face many problems in living with each other.
25. What was the name of the shop that advertised discounts?
26. The wind in summer blows from the west.
27. Vegetarians suffer from wind.
28. The Amazon flows from the Andes to the Atlantic.
29. The Queen will speak on Christmas Day.
30. Mary wants to learn French before she goes to the Continent.

3. Complete with the, were needed.

1. In Paris, we stayed at the George V hotel, ate at Maxim’s, and visited the Louvre.
2. The Smiths were supposed to come to the lunch we gave at the Ritz, but Mrs
Smith phoned to say they had to take the young one to hospital.
3. Some buildings are world-famous: the Acropolis, Big Ben, the White House, the
Taj Mahal, St Peter’s, the Pyramids, Lenin’s Tomb.
4. Experts were appointed to investigate the causes of the disease, known as yellow
fever, which broke out among the American troops after the Spanish-American
War.
5. Brevity is the soul of lingerie.

UNIT 1. DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES. EXERCISES. ANSWERS 2

4. In some of these sentences there is a mistake with articles. Underline each
mistake and write the correction.

1. My father likes the classical music and listens to it all the time.
2. I saw a man sitting in a restaurant. A woman came and joined him, but the man
got up and left without speaking with her. ✓
3. The sun was shining and it was a lovely day.
4. I can play the piano.
5. I come from the United Arab Emirates.
6. I’ve applied to study at the University of Edinburgh. ✓
7. Sorry, I’m late. The car wouldn’t start this morning.
8. I’m going to take a cruise down the river Nile.
9. My husband collects the antiques. He’s always going to auctions.
10. I usually go to work by the bus.

5. Complete the sentences with the or nothing (-).

1. I go to (-) school at 8.00. The school is in the centre of (-) town.

2. My dad’s at (-) work. He teaches (-) children and adults.
3. I’m going (-) home now. I’m tired. I’ll be at (-) home tomorrow.
4. Good night. I’m going to (-) bed now Jane’s in (-) bed already.
5. My brother’s studying (-) Maths at (-) Manchester University. My sister’s at the
University of Bonn.
6. We’re staying in the Carlton Hotel in (-) Queen Street.
7. We can see the River Thames, (-) St Paul’s Cathedral, and (-) Buckingham Palace
from our room.
8. We’re going to eat in the Palm Tree Restaurant. We used to go to (-) Guido’s
Restaurant until it closed down.
9. I want to see (-) London Zoo, (-) Tate Modern, and (-) St Pancras Station.
10. Last year we had a holiday on the Mediterranean. We met people from the United
States, (-) Japan, and the Middle East.
11. What did you have for (-) lunch?
12. Where shall we have (-) dinner?
13. What time do you want (-) breakfast?
14. I usually go to work by (-) bus, but this morning the bus was late, so I missed my
meeting.
15. I go everywhere by (-) train. I never travel by (-) plane. The last plane I took was
in 2003.

UNIT 1. DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES. EXERCISES. ANSWERS 3

 16. (-) Italian people have great style.
17. The Mexicans are proud of their heritage.

6. Complete the conversations. Put in the nouns and decide if you need the.

► Tom: Did you see the football (football) on television last night?
Melanie: No, I hate football (football). I was watching the news (news) on the other
channel.
1. Rachel: Did your family have a dog when you were younger?
Vicky: No, thank goodness. I'm afraid of dogs. I didn't like the dogs that were
running around in the park yesterday. I was afraid they were going to attack
me.
2. Melanie: You shouldn't drive so much, Mark. You know that cars cause pollution,
don't you?
Mark: Yes, but cars these days are cleaner than they used to be. Isn't it
aeroplanes that are mainly responsible for the pollution of the
atmosphere?
3. Melanie: I've put some bread out in the garden for the birds.
Tom: You like birds, don't you?
Melanie: Yes, I do. I love wildlife, in fact. I'd much rather live in the country if I
could.
4. Laura: You're always reading books about history, aren't you?
Harriet: It was always my favourite subject. Do you know anything about the history
of this area?
Laura: No, but if you like looking round museums and old buildings, we could find
out about it together.

7. Complete the sentences with the word given (school, university, etc.). Use
‘the’ where necessary.

1. (school)
a. Every term parents are invited to the school to meet the teachers.
b. Why aren’t your children at school today? Are they ill?
c. When he was younger, Ted hated school.
d. What time does school usually start in the mornings in your country?
e. A: How do your children get home from school? By bus?
B: No, they walk. The school isn’t very far.
f. What sort of job does Jenny want to do when she leaves school?
g. There were some people waiting outside the school to meet their children.

UNIT 1. DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES. EXERCISES. ANSWERS 4

 2. (university)
a. In your country do many people go to university?
b. If you want to get a degree, you normally have to study at university.
c. This is only a small town, but the university is one of the biggest in the country.
3. (hospital)
a. My brother has always been very healthy. He’s never been in hospital.
b. When Ann was ill, I went to the hospital to visit her. When I was there, I met
Lisa who is a nurse at the hospital.
c. Peter was injured in an accident and was kept in hospital for a few days.
4. (church)
a. John’ mother is a regular churchgoer. She goes to church every Sunday.
b. John himself doesn’t go to church.
c. John went to the church to take some photographs of the building.
5. (prison)
a. In some places people are in prison because of their political beliefs.
b. A few days ago the fire brigade was called to the prison to put out a fire.
c. The judge decided to fine the man 500€ instead of sending him to prison.
6. (home/work/bed)
a. I like to read in bed before I go to sleep.
b. It’s nice to travel around, but there’s no place like home!
c. Shall we meet after work tomorrow evening?
d. If I’m feeling tired, I go to bed early.
e. What time do you usually start work in the morning?
f. The economic situation was very bad. Many people were out of work.

8. Choose the correct form, with or without the.

1. I’m afraid of dogs/the dogs

2. Can you pass salt/the salt, please?
3. Apples/the apples are good for you.
4. Look at apples/the apples on that tree! They’re very big.
5. Women/the women live longer than men/the men.
6. I don’t drink tea/the tea. I don’t like it.
7. We had a very good meal. Vegetables/the vegetables were especially good.
8. Life/the life is strange sometimes. Some very strange things happen.
9. I like skiing/the skiing, but I’m not very good at it.
10. Who are people/the people in this photograph?
11. What makes people/the people violent?
12. All books/all the books on the top shelf belong to me.

UNIT 1. DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES. EXERCISES. ANSWERS 5

 13. Don’t stay in that hotel. It’s very noisy and beds/the beds are very
uncomfortable.
14. A pacifist is somebody who is against war/the war.
15. First World War/the First World War lasted from 1914 until 1018.
16. I’d like to go to Egypt and see Pyramids/the Pyramids.
17. Someone gave me a book about history/the history of modern art/the modern
art.
18. Ron and Brenda got married, but marriage/the marriage didn’t last very long.
19. Most people/the most people believe that marriage/the marriage and family
life/the family life are the basis of society/the society.

UNIT 1. DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES. EXERCISES. ANSWERS 6